A great Turkmen feast arranged last week to celebrate National Flag Day was the holiday demonstrating the vigour and magnificence, significance and purpose of the reforms implemented nowadays in the ancestors’ ancient land.

During the years of independence we get used to rejoicing sincerely the national holidays, have learnt to relate them to the country’s economic achievements and spiritual gains, have gained the ability to adjust the strings of our souls to a special tonality. We are not alone: the achievements of the Turkmen people, who are advancing along the chosen path of peace and creation, are welcomed and supported by the international community.

That is vividly evidenced by the Highest International Order “For Outstanding Services in Informatiology” and the diploma and crystal sculptural composition Preserve the World for the Future Generations awarded to President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov for an outstanding contribution to achievement of mutual understanding among the nations. Officer of the Section of the Department for Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat Alexey Tikhomirov and a UN official, President of the International Academy of Informatization Aleksander Khariton emphasized that those awards were presented as a token of the profound respect and sincere support of the Turkmen leader’s reformative activity, whose progressive policy had won the country the recognition and high prestige worldwide.

New Europe published in the EU capital – Brussels compared Turkmenistan to “a Central Asian tiger to be watched”. The weekly placed the article on occasion of the anniversary of nationwide election Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov President of Turkmenistan in one of its latest issues. The metaphor can be argued about, perhaps, other beautiful, strong and brave animals are typical of the Turkmen land, for example, a snow leopard or ounce. However, in whole, the kernel of this comparison is right, the country is preparing to make a breakthrough, a vigorous leap.

Modern Turkmen history is the history of great revival of the Turkmen nation. This is grandiose construction projects, new traffic arteries, communications lines, textile enterprises, petroleum and gas processing complexes, medical and cultural centres, modern schools such as the Ruhnama specialised school recently opened in Ashgabat. The favourable conditions for promoting schoolchildren’s integrated development, displaying children’s abilities and talents - the computer classrooms, language laboratories, the so-called ‘mobile’ classroom with the special portable equipment (the notebooks and multimedia boards) are created at the educational establishment specialised in physics and mathematics. The interactive teaching equipment will make schoolchildren interested in studying geography, biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. The Ruhnama schools is the model of those schools that will open doors in all the regions of Turkmenistan, it is the model of the new educational system based on the advanced multimedia and information technologies that the President of Turkmenistan insistently and purposefully builds.

An important factor of successful implementation of the reforms initiated throughout the country is the international forums, which, on the one hand, let the foreign guests see the positive changes for better taking place in the country with their own eyes and get acquainted with the Turkmen people’s achievements in different sectors and spheres, on the other hand, provide Turkmen specialists with an opportunity to remain abreast of the latest innovations and tendencies in world science, technology, culture.

Last week Ashgabat hosted the scientific symposium Mahmyt Kashgari - the Founder of Turkology, which brought together the scientists and cultural workers - linguists and experts in literature, orientalists, ethnographers and culture experts, the teachers of the higher educational establishments from 18 countries worldwide. As is known, the UNESCO announced the year 2008 the Year of Mahmyt Kashgari and the forum in the Turkmen capital timed to the remarkable date - the 1,000th jubilee of the eminent Turkmen scientists and philologist, who had profoundly contributed to development of Turkic linguistics, culture and literature of the East, opened a series of the events to be held in many countries worldwide.

Assigning primary importance to the concern for the welfare of the people, the guarantees of the worthy living and social conditions to the people as the goals of the home and foreign policies Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov keeps saying that these goals can be achieved through establishing mutually advantageous and equal relations with the countries in the region as well as all over the world. The unofficial CIS Summit in Moscow highlighted Turkmenistan’s adherence to this course. Addressing the forum the President said that as an associated member of the Commonwealth of Independent States that evolved from the international commitments of a neutral country Turkmenistan intended intensifying its participation in the CIS activity through developing the constructive contacts - in both bilateral and multilateral formats, on the regional basis in the first place.

The current Turkmen-Russian co-operation, which was innovatively developed and filled with a new content, can exemplify the relations of such kind. Our countries have the profound potential of collaboration in a broad range of spheres that must be employed in full - such is the leitmotif of the Turkmen-Russian top-level talks held over past years. Thus, during the recent meeting Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Vladimir Putin reaffirmed the mutual endeavours to intensify the interstate dialogue in the interests of both peoples.

Partnership in the energy sector, humanitarian and other spheres, and accordingly the joint projects vividly exemplify the community of interests and the similar approaches Turkmenistan and Russia takes to the global challenges. Collaboration of one of Russia’s largest companies - Stroytransgaz JSC in the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline project is symbolic in this regard. The Russian partners are to collaborate in constructing the facilities of the future gas pipeline amounted to about 400 million euro - the 188-km Malay-Bagtyyarlyk gas pipeline, a gas treating and dewatering unit and a gas-measuring unit.

Thus, we witness establishing the transport and energy infrastructure new in principle, which will connect Europe, Central Asia and Far East, meet the economic needs of the neighbouring countries - Turkmenistan, Russia, China, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan as well as many other countries, provide the opportunities for constructive integration on terms of a real economic benefit. This is a good reason for thinking over the strategic prudence of the projects initiated by the Turkmen leader - the Caspian gas pipeline project, the North-South transport corridor project, etc as well as his policy that guarantees peace, political stability and economic prosperity to the neighbouring and remote countries.